Captain America

[gordonblu]

I saw the film today ( I literally just got back from the cinema). I still have not seen X-men First Class yet, but IMO Captain America is the BEST comic book movie of the year so far.


The cast was very good; Both Tommy Lee Jones and Stanley Tucci stole every scene they were in and were definite highlights. Hugo Weaving is one of the best villain performances in a CBM and Toby Jones made for a fine henchman. Dominic Cooper channeled Robert Downy Jr., but filtered him through a 1940's sensibility and pulled it off very well, Haley Atwell was a good leading lady, and Sebastian Stan was a very likeable Bucky (and I'm not too fond of the character in the first place). The biggest surprise though was Chris Evans. I was skeptical about him playing the Captain( my second favorite comic book character after a certain nocturnal vigilante ), but he pulled it off very well.


Joe Johnston gave the film a great 40's flavor, but also delivered the goods as a modern action film, Rick Heinrich's production design was appropriate to the period, but filtered through a sense of style missing from recent CBM's (I'm looking at YOU, Nolan).

I do have a few negatives, Some of the CG was weak, particularly a scene involving a train, and there were a few jumps in tone that were a little jarring. I also am not a fan of Slo-Mo, but thankfully this film kept it to a minimum. The climactic battle was one of the best fight scenes in a Marvel film, but it wasn't long enough for me. also Alan Silvestri's score featured a GREAT main theme and some nice old-school montage music (there's also a particular cue that is heart-breakingly beautiful), but the action music is more generic than I'd like.


Overall I'd probably give the film 4-4.5 out of 5 stars, but like I said, Captain America is one of my faves anyway.

[gordonblu]

Weird glitch; Double post but the second one was in a quote box!

[The Dark Knight]

I'm glad you enjoyed the film. I'm looking forward to it and I'll check it out this week. First Class is a fine film, and one of the best in the genre. Definitely make sure you see it. I fully expect Captain America to be on the same level of quality. Perhaps even better, judging by your positive response and also from the trailers I have seen. I am a big retro/period piece nut, so I love what Marvel are doing at the minute. Back then, the world was a bigger/wilder place, and that lends itself better to adventure. Case in point Raiders of the Lost Ark.

[Azrael]

Looking forward to it too. The period setting is what sold me to the film when the first official announcements were made, and I'm happy the film received a pretty good reception. 74% at Rotten Tomatoes and $ 65 million opening weekend is certainly good.

[The Joker]

Finally was able to check Captain America: The First Avenger the past Tuesday and I must say, I loved it!

This is exactly what a blockbuster is supposed to be.

I really have no complaints at all. Chris Evans was very impressive and did an outstanding job in conveying just how unselfish and decent of a person Steve Rogers really is. Made me forget all about those dreadful FF movies.

Loved the Red Skull. Weaving is awesome in everything, and he's becoming this generation's Christopher Lee in that he's played a lot of loved and memorable characters. Great makeup too.

Wonderful action, the right blend of super hero and war movies. Even Hydra worked much better than I thought it would. They got around the whole nazi thing without having to splash nazi symbols all over the movie and it made sense in the context of the story.

Liked the ending as well. It was a bit of a downer, however I found it touching and not schmaltzy.

Overall, I enjoyed Captain America more than X Men: First Class and I think this could very well be Marvels best movie.

5/5

[phantom stranger]

Just watched it and overall I enjoyed it but I was let down.

I should state that I have lower standards for Marvel films than I do for DC. Marvel has decided that they're only going to do popcorn movies, at least for the time being, and they should be judged on that standard. In recent memory, none of their films (with the possible exception of First Class, which I haven't yet seen) have really raised the bar in the same way that the Burton/Nolan Batman movies did, or for that matter, Spider-Man 2.

In their defense, the movies are first and foremost about (a) setting up the origins for the characters and (b) setting up The Avengers. But still, I think there was a lot of untapped potential for a hero set in the WWII era. I guess I was hoping for a movie with more of a Saving Private Ryan feel, rather than an Indiana Jones feel. Still, they want their movies to please all audiences so this is what we're going to get for the time being. Hopefully, by the time we get to Avengers and the various sequels, we'll have some stories that are as worthy as the spectacle.

[gordonblu]

I can understand why you'd be disappointed, personally I was hoping for an Indiana Jones style romp so it met my expectations with flying colors.

[The Dark Knight]

Saw it last night. Liked First Class more, but CA is still pretty good. Evans delivered a fine performance. Loved the ending. Was quite moving, and also a game changing mind game. Waking up 70 years later, with your mind still in the "present", only to realise your girlfriend is long dead, would've married - had kids with someone else, etc. Bit like James Cameron's "Titanic" in a way.

[BatmAngelus]

Enjoyed this one.  Might be my favorite of the superhero films this year, I'm not sure yet.  I thought the cast gave solid performances- Evans sold the spirit of Captain America well.  Tommy Lee Jones was in the film a lot more than I thought he'd be and was very effective.  Dominic Cooper did a good job playing the future father of Iron Man.  And I think I'm in love with Hayley Atwell, but that's beside the point....

It was a fun superhero film that didn't disappoint me.  I'm very curious now how they're going to handle Steve Rogers's character in The Avengers and have him deal with the new time period.

[Azrael]

Saw it last night. Liked First Class more, but CA is still pretty good. Evans delivered a fine performance. Loved the ending. Was quite moving, and also a game changing mind game. Waking up 70 years later, with your mind still in the "present", only to realise your girlfriend is long dead, would've married - had kids with someone else, etc. Bit like James Cameron's "Titanic" in a way.

Also, a bit like Forever Young, a 1992 movie with Mel Gibson.

Captain America was great too. Marvel had a really good year.

This article is about a month old, but really good and informative for those with only casual knowledge about the character (like mine).

http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/984587/why_they_shouldnt_change_the_name_of_the_captain_america_movie.html